


Shut up! I Like Her

by scoopydoo



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Henderson!Reader, Stranger Things 3, steve harrington/henderson!reader - Freeform, stranger things imagine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-14 05:46:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20595689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scoopydoo/pseuds/scoopydoo
Summary: You're hanging out at Starcourt when you decide it's hot enough for ice cream. You head to Scoops and end up talking to Steve Harrington, who you haven't seen since High School. As the two of you catch up you discover he's changed a lot since King Steve days.





	Shut up! I Like Her

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic in the fandom, and my first writing in years so I hope it's not trash. Here's a little flirty fluff piece to get into the flow of things. If you want more, let me know!

Steve ran his fingers through his hair. He’d been off his game for a while, since Nancy really, and it was starting to take a toll on him. He used the same charm and smile he did in high school, the ones that crowned him king of Hawkins High, but he’d changed so much since then that it felt flat. He couldn’t play the part of popular guy now that school was over, and since his life had turned Upside Down, he wasn’t much of a panty chaser. Or dropper evidently. Robin smiled from the ice cream shop window as she revealed her newest tally against him on her precious whiteboard where she catalogued his flirting failures. At least someone’s having a good time, he thought with a sigh. 

Robin straightened up a little then, hiding the board quickly as she looked over Steve’s shoulder. “Show time, Romeo,” she said and Steve bit back a snarky retort as he spun around, preparing to strike out once again. No performance this time. Steve was going to be real for once. The king routine was getting him nowhere and he was exhausted of the role.   
You were lazily walking through the mall, talking advantage of the air-conditioning and spending the afternoon window shopping. You didn’t have too many friends in Hawkins, even though you’d lived there your whole life. Your best friend moved away after high school graduation to go to college in Texas and you had to stoop so low as to ask your little brother to hang out. You loved Dustin, but he wasn’t exactly someone to talk to about girl stuff or anything ‘R’ rated. You felt extra deflated when even he was too busy for you, always away at friends’ houses and sneaking out at night. You missed having fun. Now the only times you got out was when you went to work at Chuck E. Cheese or to the grocery store with your mom. 

As you reached the food court, you caught eye of an ice cream shop and your stomach growled a little. It was such a hot day, your mouth practically watered at the thought of a cone with a scoop of your favorite. As you approached the counter you noticed the face of a girl you went to high school with, Robin, poking out from a back service window. You smiled and raised one of your hands in a wave, but you couldn’t help the look of confusion you had when your brain registered the boy who stood just behind the counter.   
“Steve?” you asked, not really believing that Steve Harrington would work at a Scoops Ahoy inside of Starcourt- or anywhere for that matter. His family was rich; he lived in one of the biggest homes in the neighborhood. You couldn’t understand why he would subject himself to wearing a sailor costume and slinging ice cream, with a dorky hat no less. You were shocked he wasn’t worried about his precious hair getting ruined. 

“Oh, uh- hey, Y/N,” Steve said, a blush appearing on his cheeks. 

“Ahoy…captain,” you smirked, half convinced you were at home asleep having a really wild dream. Steve’s face turned redder and you felt a little bad for embarrassing him. “Since when do you work here?” you asked, trying to redirect the conversation a little. 

“Summer job,” he shrugged. “I’m trying to save up for college.” 

“Really? You?” you asked, still shocked. 

“Yeah,” he said, looking down as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Basketball didn’t work as planned- didn’t get any sports scholarships. Dad’s not exactly thrilled, so if I want to go to college now I have to pay for it.” You blinked in surprise. You didn’t expect Steve to tell you all that. You two weren’t friends in school, but you were more than just classmates. You’d gone to some of Harrington’s wild parties and even shared a round of 7 Minutes in Heaven together in seventh grade at Carol’s thirteenth birthday party. But at the end of the day he’d been prom king and you were just a girl who didn’t care about labels. 

“Damn,” you began, feeling more guilty about poking fun at him. “That’s rough. I’m sorry, Steve.” He smiled, though his eyes didn’t. He was playing a part again. Always Steve the cool guy. 

“It’s alright. Gives me time to figure out what the fuck I want to do with my life.” Or maybe not? This was definitely not the Steve you went to school with. Since when was he into having an actual conversation? Usually Harrington just dished out flattery at the hopes of a date, or more if he was lucky. 

You’d seen a few rare glimpses of the real Steve, though, whether he remembered or not. Three separate instances where Steve had been very drunk, the two of you had wandered off somewhere private, and he’d been very honest with you. He would talk about how much he hated Tommy and Carol. How his dad would always put him down for his grades. How people never really wanted to know the real him. It never lasted, though. Someone would always be looking for King Steve and he’d jump back up, walls in place cemented with a stupid drunken grin to remain life of the party. Anything to make people happy. “What about you?” he asked, breaking your train of thought. 

“Huh?” You had completely forgotten what you two had been talking about, mind a few years in the past. “Oh, same, actually. I’m kind of losing my mind a little bit,” you said easily with a smile. “But hey, animatronic rats really help with the anxiety.” Steve laughed at that, a real, hearty laugh that you couldn’t help but join in a little. 

“Jesus, that’s right, I forgot you work at Chuck E. Cheese.”

“What? How did you know?” You’d only been working there for two months and you’d been going out of your way to make sure no one saw you there. Ever. Labels aside, you didn’t need everyone to know you were serving pizza to sobbing children for less than minimum wage. Steve’s ears turned red. 

“I’ve seen you there.” Your eyes widened a little as you waited for him to elaborate. “I was driving by one day about a month ago and I saw you walking in wearing the red vest.” 

“Lovely,” you muttered under your breath, slightly mortified that you’d been caught. Steve leaned coolly against the counter and you couldn’t help but notice the change in proximity. 

“Nah, it wasn’t that bad. Way better than this,” he said, gesturing to his own ensemble. You bit your lip to try and hide the big smile that grew on your lips. Dammit if this new Steve wasn’t doing something to you. You knew he’d become friends with Dustin over the past couple months, but other than a quick greeting as Dustin jumped into Steve’s car before the two drove off for sometimes more than a day, you hadn’t gotten the opportunity to really talk to the guy. He seemed like he’d matured a lot, though, and it looked damn good on him. 

“I don’t know,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest and taking him in for a moment. “I think the hat really brings it all together.” Steve smirked and cocked an eyebrow, clearly in the mood to play along. 

“I know, right? Let’s just say, we’re not famous for the ice cream. They come for it, but that’s not why they stick around,” he adds with a wink. 

“Wow,” you breathed. Now that sounded more like the Steve you remembered, though you could tell his words held none of their old weight. He looked clearly amused, enjoying messing around with you and waiting to hear what you’d say next. God, he was adorable. “Is that on the secret menu I don’t know about?” You asked, glancing around the room as if looking for a poster when your eyes found an elderly woman in the corner who looked like she was about to fall asleep in her banana split. “I think you rocked her world a little too much.” 

Steve broke with a laugh that lit up his whole face, hair swaying into his eyes before he combed it back with his hand. “Couldn’t handle the U.S.S. Butterscotch,” he said and you raised a brow at him. 

“Is that what you call it?” 

“Trust me, babe, it’s an ocean of flavor,” he added. You leaned your elbow onto the counter, face inches from Steve’s. His gaze darted to your lips so fast you almost thought you’d imagined it, but his tongue darted out to wet his own as eyes fixed onto yours. 

“Well, then, I gotta try it.” 

“How about tonight?” he asked seriously, voice soft and gentle- hopeful. You found yourself nodding before you even registered what was happening. Steve smiled. 

“Yeah, I’d like that.” 

“Y/N??” a familiar voice called from behind and you looked over your shoulder to see Dustin making his way to the counter. “What are you doing here?” You shrugged, looking back at Steve as Dustin reached you. 

“Just talking to Steve,” you responded nonchalantly. Dustin eyed suspiciously at you before turning his gaze to Steve. His eyes narrowed as he continued to switch back and forth between you two before finally settling on Steve. Steve looked at Dustin like he was crazy before lightly shoving the kid’s shoulder. 

“Stop staring at me, weirdo.” 

“You didn’t,” was all Dustin said, stumbling slightly. Steve still kept the same look on his face, but it didn’t remain for long under Dustin’s intensity. Steve cracked as Dustin let out a loud groan in protest. “Gross, dude, that’s my sister! What the hell?” 

“Shut up! I like her!”


End file.
